What is the latest death toll?

Rescuers using heavy machinery and trained dogs found the body of a man, the latest reported fatality, while searching through rubble on Friday in Mexico Beach.

But Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), said the number of deaths was expected to rise as teams combed through badly hit areas in Mexico Beach, Port St Joe and Panama City.

Residents of Mexico Beach had been under a mandatory evacuation order, but it is believed at least 285 people among a population of 1,000 had stayed behind to ride out the storm.

Florida senator Marco Rubio said: “You hope that somehow at the last minute a bunch of people got up and left or went somewhere else.”

Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for across the area, but this may simply reflect an inability to communicate with relatives, with mobile phone coverage out in many areas.

What have officials and residents said?

Florida Governor Rick Scott said as he visited Mexico Beach on Friday: “It’s like a bomb went off. It’s like a war zone.”

He said more than 1,700 rescue workers had been deployed.

Interactive
See impact of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach

After

Before

Mexico Beach mayor Al Cathey said: “When you walk down and see this… your emotions run away. This is just a small unique coastal community.”

Mr Long said: “Very few people live to tell what it’s like to experience storm surge, and unfortunately in this country we seem to not learn the lesson.”

"For everyone thinking they can ride this storm out, I have news for you: that will be one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your life." Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin ahead of Hurricane Gustav, 2008